Arsenal had done it. The team accused of having the weak mentality had just done what we expect from Manchester United. They had scored in the dying minutes of the game and rescued their title challenge.
Arsenal had won it. They couldn’t lose it now. Arsenal were going four points behind Manchester United and there was still hope. Arsenal fans were celebrating the win they never expected.
But no. Emmanuel Eboue pops up and in a moment of sheer stupidity, he bundles Lucas when there was no threat.
There are many times I have felt like ripping my hair out seeing Arsenal, but this one outdid them all. It was worse than the 4-4 draw against Newcastle, worse than the 3-2 loss to Spurs.
It hurt so much because Arsenal had shown character to be on the verge of defeating a gutsy and passionate Liverpool but one moment of madness from Emmanuel Eboue. Arsenal’s numerous critics will be quick to harp on the now common phrase, “Arsenal are not strong mentally”. But this result was not because of Arsenal’s fragile mentality.
It was simply because one player lost all his senses in one costly moment from which I can never forgive him. I still don’t see why he fouled Lucas, a foul that has all but ended Arsenal’s title challenge just when it seemed to be back on.
Emmanuel Eboue is no stranger to hate from the fans. Following his truly horrendous performance against Wigan back in the 2008-09 season he was booed off by the Arsenal faithful and he left the pitch in tears.
On Sunday he once again he incurred the wrath of the Arsenal fans for conceding a needless penalty, a foul that has effectively ended Arsenal’s title challenge barring a miracle.
It’s hard to see Arsenal fans ever forgiving Emmanuel Eboue for this act. Last time around he never cost Arsenal the match and neither was it at such a critical juncture in the season. The match against Liverpool was make or break for the Gunners, a match in which the win was the only outcome that could truly give them a shot at the league.
The last time he was booed off, he won over the fans with his gutsy performances. The fans were truly sad on booing him and they even apologized to him.
But this time I don’t see the fans ever forgiving him and right now neither can I. Maybe when the emotions finally settle down and all the frustration ends, we will maybe think of forgiving him but definitely not any time soon.
As an Arsenal fan you grow accustomed to disappointment. You see time and time again your team throwing away leads, losing when it was least disappointed.
But the manner of the defeat and the circumstances surrounding it means that this time to say what I am feeling now is sheer disappointment would be an understatement.
The sheer ecstasy of winning a match so late on is uncontrollable but the disappointment of throwing away the match so late on is even more painful and heartbreaking.
With Manchester United playing in the FA Cup this was Arsenal’s chance to close the gap between them to a mere four points before the North London derby on Wednesday.
After Robin van Persie’s calm and composed penalty in the 98th minute, a goal that exuded calmness, Eboue ends all the hopes with a clumsy lunge that only he knows why he went into. Dirk Kuyt slotted home the penalty in the 102nd minute, yes the 102nd minute and Arsene Wenger went berserk and rightfully so. In a mere moment, Arsenal’s ecstasy had transformed into disappointment and shock.
I have always been a fan of Eboue and I have always enjoyed seeing him play and do well for the club. But right now, I feel disgusted at the player. In my opinion right now, there is no player the Arsenal fans hate more right now than Emmanuel Eboue.
I would love to see him bounce back from this latest setback, but I just don’t see myself forgiving him. He may go a certain way in redeeming himself but I doubt if he can win over the fans like he did the previous time. He may enchant the fans with his happy demeanor but his foul will remain etched in my mind as the foul that caused Arsenal to lose the title.
Arsenal have players like Almunia who have cost Arsenal countless matches and yet right now it is Eboue who is most despised among all the players. When van Persie scored there was no need to fathom a 1-1 draw and there shouldn’t have been a draw.
At one point this match was petering out to a tame draw but in five stunning stoppage time minutes, the game transformed into one of the most frantic finishes in recent memory. Two penalties and two correct decisions saw the game end 1-1 and at the end of it all, Kenny Dalglish and Arsene Wenger had a clash of words.
Emmanuel Eboue might give his all and may put in great performances in an attempt to win over the Arsenal fans but in my mind there will remain only one picture of the Ivory Coast international, the picture of him inexplicably bundling over Lucas Leiva.
Liverpool fans celebrated as if it was a win. It certainly felt like a loss to the Arsenal fans and a bitter one too at that.
At the end of it all, I have just one question to ask: Emmanuel Eboue what were you thinking out there?
No comments:
Post a Comment